Children from Mykolaiv region were forcibly taken to Russia

15 children from Novopetrivsk special school in Mykolaiv region were forcibly taken to Russia. The prosecutor's office investigated the war crime and submitted an indictment to the court.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

During the occupation of the village of Novopetrivka, 15 children remained in the special school: ten were deprived of parental care, two were orphans, two were placed in an institution due to difficult life circumstances, and one child had already been adopted by US citizens at the time of deportation. The children were forcibly taken by the Russian occupiers, first through the occupied Crimea, and then to the city of Anapa in Russia. Instead of education and safety, they were subjected to ideological pressure, a ban on speaking Ukrainian, and forced to sing the anthem of the aggressor country.

Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General

The children were under the control of the occupiers for three months, although there were no objective reasons for the 'evacuation' - the school had a bomb shelter and supplies, and the situation in the village remained stable. <span>The prosecutor's office established the full route of the deportation and identified those involved, including a Russian serviceman and two collaborators from the Kherson region. The defendants were brought to court, and their names were added to the sanctions lists.</span>

Photo: Prosecutor General's Office

Thanks to the joint work of law enforcement, international partners and volunteers, all the children were returned from Russia to safe places abroad. One of the deported children was adopted by US citizens and is now with his guardians. This case has been classified as a war crime - the forcible transfer of civilians, especially children, prohibited by international law and Article 49 of the IV Geneva Convention of 1949.

Катерина Глушко